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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23362663">The Right Time For You</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nenilein/pseuds/Nenilein'>Nenilein</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Steven Universe (Cartoon)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Timeline, Gen, In which Pink Diamond deals with her own stuff, No Steven AU, No escape Reincarnation, On her own, Steven Universe Future</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-03-28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-03-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 11:16:08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>12,043</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23362663</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nenilein/pseuds/Nenilein</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>All her life, Pink Diamond has been running away from herself. But when she is about to take the final, ultimate step to escaping herself, she is faced with the reality that her life is much more than just her own, and that 'being human' means more than just having a body made of flesh and blood.</p><p>An Alternate Timeline based on the sentence: "What if Rose didn't have Steven?"</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Pearl/Rose Quartz (Steven Universe), Pearl/Rose Quartz | Pink Diamond, Pink Diamond/Greg Universe, Rose Quartz/Greg Universe</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>89</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Let's Not Do That Right Now</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I had the idea for this AU months ago. After seeing the finale yesterday, I decided to finally write it. As you'll quickly be able to tell, Steven Universe:Future had a huge influence on the direction I decided to take this idea.</p><p>Pink Diamond is such a fascinating character to me. Her personality is so much like her son's, but experiences and coping mechanisms is really where they differ. I really want to try and explore her a little, and experiment by putting her into a lot of the situations Steven had to deal with and see how she handles them - if at all.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“It’s not the right time.”</p><p>Those five words solidified the mist of his fleeting worries into solid resolve.</p><p>“R-Right!? I didn’t think so either! But you know how she can get. Once she gets an idea she wants to try she just won’t budge! Just like a… Like a…”</p><p>“Like a rock?”</p><p>“…Yeah!”</p><p>With that and a loud, exasperated sigh, one Greg Universe let his body slump against one of the heavy stone pillars of the ancient temple, all while using his fingers to massage his own temple. It was a headache, this whole situation, and for once in his life he knew that he wasn’t the only one who thought that way. The utterly horrified expression on Pearl’s face when Rose announced her grand idea in all its detailed glory was one of the moments in his life Greg would never forget. And now he knew that even the ever-stoic Garnet, the Gem that had always encouraged his relationship with Rose above all others, saw the issues with what her group’s leader was planning to do. In the past 10 minutes alone Greg had seen Garnet readjust those shades of hers more often than in the entire remaining time he’d known her. Even she was nervous.</p><p>“So… Spill the beans, Double-G! Whatcha see?” Amethyst, ever excited, demanded to know.</p><p>Garnet was fidgeting, “It’s… unclear. There are a lot of possibilities here that I can’t really make sense of myself. But no matter what path I take this decision of Rose’s down, it always seems to end in disaster.”</p><p>“Of COURSE it ends in disaster!!!”</p><p>It was Pearl who rose her voice like that. The heavy bags under her eyes and the shrieking tone of her voice reminded Greg of an angry cat, trying to defend its territory.</p><p>“She’s planning to encase herself in something… something like HIM, and let it feed off her gem!!” Her hand flew out, gesturing at Greg.</p><p>“Hey!”</p><p>He resented the wording.</p><p>“She’ll lose her physical form for good if she does that! She’ll be… She’ll just be… GONE!”</p><p>That last word of Pearl’s echoed across the beach for a good while, causing the heads of the three others with her to sink in-between their respective owners’ shoulders. Gone. Gone. No longer there. Not smiling, not laughing, not crying, not talking, not here, not anywhere. Just gone. Even just thinking about it, Greg could feel his face heat up, tears gathering in his eyes. Pearl was faster though, already at the crying part. Usually the way she got when it came to the matter of Rose and his’ relationship just annoyed her. Right now, however he found himself reaching into his pocket and pulling out a tissue to offer her.</p><p>“H-Hey, Pearl? Let’s all calm down for a moment. I’m upset about this too, you know. But crying won’t-“</p><p>He couldn’t finish. Instead of accepting the tissue, he found that she’d taken to starring at it in disgust instead. Slowly, her eyes wandered up, from his hands to his eyes. She glared at him.</p><p>“I hope you know that this is all YOUR fault.”</p><p>The words cut. Immediately he retracted his hand and offer and glared back.</p><p>“MY fault!? Listen, I haven’t done anything yet! Rose and I haven’t even-“</p><p>“Yet! But you WILL, won’t you!?”</p><p>“Wait, why would I do that!?”</p><p>“Because it would be the ultimate way for you to have Rose for yourself! That WOULD make you feel great about yourself, now wouldn’t it!?”</p><p>“<em>Not if we’d LOSE HER over it!</em>”</p><p>The pillar shook with Greg’s yell. The ground shook with his stomping. A small pebble came loose from the obsidian statue looming over them all. It fell right by his feet. He’d been loud enough to even drone out Pearl’s screams from before. Now there was silence. Not even Pearl dared to speak up again until Greg’s words had echoed out completely.</p><p>“I… I don’t want to lose her either,” he repeated a while later, whispering towards the stone tiles under his feet. “I mean… Don’t get me wrong. When she first told me, she wanted to have a child together, I <em>was</em> happy. Having her be part of my life… be my family like that is all I could ever dream of! But if it means that she’d just stop… being there? How would I even explain that to the kid…?”</p><p>“I see ten different variations of you trying to. Six end in tears, two in the child developing a debilitating fear of their own gem. One ends in a misunderstanding involving nesting dolls and a spoon.”</p><p>“And the other one?” asked Ameythst.</p><p>Garnet turned her head towards her, “…Everything’s fine. As far as I can see, that is.”</p><p>“Yeah, that’s…  not helping.” Greg finally sat down on the ground. He groaned. “We gotta talk Rose out of this somehow…!”</p><p>“Talk me out of what?”</p><p>Nobody had heard her come. She must’ve floated down from above. Maybe it was the sound of Pearl and Greg yelling that called her back from her stroll through town, maybe she just happened to come back at this exact second. Whatever the case, Rose Quartz stood at the foot of the stairs leading to the temple entrance, tilting her head a little as she looked up at her friends.</p><p>“Pearl, Greg? What’s the matter? You’re not looking well. Did you have another fight?”</p><p>Greg and Pearl just starred at each other, both looking pale (or in Pearl’s case, <em>paler</em>) as they realized that the whole situation was about to get even more complicated. Amethyst, however, had her own way of easing the tension.</p><p>“Rose, like, <em>duuuh</em>! They’re Pearl and Greg and they’re less than a mile away from each other, <em>of course</em> they had a fight!”</p><p>“Oh… ahahaha!” Rose giggled a little. “So, it’s just the usual, I see. Well, try to get along a bit better in the future. When the child is here, I don’t want them to feel like the two of you actually, you know, hate each other. That wouldn’t be right!”</p><p>And still, Greg and Pearl were starring, subtly communicating with gestures and glances. They were trying to gamble out which one of them would have to try and shatter Rose’s dreams, a feat that was becoming more difficult, with each mention of the “child” causing those starry lights that showed her adoration for life to appear in her eyes. Greg and Pearl both loved those lights. Having to snuff them out was difficult. But somebody had to do it, and eventually, Greg lost out.</p><p>“Actually… Rose, about that…”</p><p>“Yes, Greg?”</p><p>It was hard. Seeing her smile like that, having her sit down next to him, lovingly nuzzling his hair, petting his head. It was hard, because he knew that just a minute from now, that would all be over with for the day. The mood would be ruined. But maybe a lack of good moods was for the best right now, just tonight.</p><p>“So… The Gems and I… we were thinking, and… Do you… really think this is the right time?”</p><p>“The right time for what?” Rose asked.</p><p>“The right time to have a kid.”</p><p>Rose stopped for a moment. Greg’s words made her smile drop.</p><p>“There’s… such a thing as a wrong time for it?” she asked, visibly dejected.</p><p>“I-I mean, yeah! Having a kid… for us humans, that’s a huge life-changing decision!” Greg explained, getting up on his feet. He had to feel tall right now, or at least, a bit taller. Else he wouldn’t be able to muster the courage needed to explain this. “You need to have a stable life, with an income- “</p><p>“You have the car-wash, don’t you?”</p><p>“– a place to live – “</p><p>“Oh, Pearl knows how to build houses! That shouldn’t be too hard!”</p><p>“– <em>Safety</em>!”</p><p>There. There it was. Finally, Greg had found the keyword he needed to counter Rose.</p><p>“A child needs safety, Rose! They need to know they’re safe when they’re growing up, so they don’t grow up wanting to… run away!”</p><p>Right. There was no lie in what he was saying. He knew that better than anyone. Even if it wasn’t his true, primary motivation for talking Rose out of this, he knew what he was saying was true, and it made him feel more secure in his words. Greg took a step forward.</p><p>“A kid needs a place they know they can go when everything feels wrong. Somewhere where they’re safe to be themself! Without pressure. Or danger, or expectations.”</p><p>And just looking at her eyes, Greg could see that Rose, in her own way, actually understood what he was saying.</p><p>“A… a place where they’re free to be themself? But… But Earth is-“</p><p>“Earth is a whole planet, Rose. When it’s all you know, it’s pretty easy to feel like you’re trapped where you’re born, even if it’s just a small town in a much bigger world. And you and the Gems, you’re… always fighting those monsters,” Greg looked at Rose, brows furred. “I know, you want to make a new life with me. And I’m happy you do, I really, really am! But, is this really what you want that life to be born into? Always being around fighting and magic laser beams and… and… a family that’s still cleaning up from a war that’s been over for goodness knows how long?”</p><p>Rose was quiet. It was clear she’d never thought of it that way. Her eyes wide open, she listened to Greg. Then she lowered her head.</p><p> “You… You think it’s still too early?” She asked. “That if we… If we have them now, they won’t be happy? That they’ll always feel like they’re… still part of the Gem war?”</p><p>Greg carefully shrugged.</p><p>“Mhm… I mean. It could be…”</p><p>“It will,” Garnet confirmed. “Rose. There are still countless corrupted Gems on this planet we haven’t retrieved yet. If you make this child now, there no doubt they will end up involved in our battles to collect them. Carrying your Gem, they might even be targeted by them. I know you want to create something special with Greg. But right now, there is no future where that person will be able to live a normal, human life on this planet.”</p><p>“There isn’t…?”</p><p>For the first time, Rose found herself tempted to do something she usually didn’t even consider: Doubt Garnet’s predictions. But she quickly realized how foolish that was. After all, in 5000 years, when had Garnet ever been wrong? Her powers outclassed those of a regular Homeworld Sapphire, her ability to see and judge the possibilities of the future was outstanding. And so, Rose had to accept that she was right. That Greg was right. That Pearl, looking glimpsing at Rose from the corner over there with those worried, judging eyes of hers, too, was probably right. That’s why they were all here together, weren’t they? Because Garnet had seen the future and they meant to warn her of it. Rose understood. What wonderful, caring friends she had… And how much it hurt to realize that the future she’d been looking forward to so much was apparently impossible. Not getting what she wanted so badly, it almost made her want to scream. But she knew better than that. She had known better than that for 8000 years…</p><p>“<em>I see</em>…” A whisper. That was all she mustered. Rose got up. She looked at Greg. “So… You don’t want to have a child with me?”</p><p>“Of course, I do!” Greg said. “You’re my whole life, Rose! Sharing how happy you make me with someone else would be the greatest thing ever! But…” He paused, looking for the right words. “…Just not quite like, um… this. You know?”</p><p>“I know…” Rose muttered… but as she still did, already a new thought was forming in her mind. Not like ‘this’… right, not like ‘this’! She raised her head. Her face brightened. “I know!”</p><p>“Y-You know…?” Greg repeated, and just then, Rose grabbed his hands. She held them tight, looking at him. There were these starry lights again. Never before had these lights made Greg as nervous. From the side, Pearl and Garnet watched closely, fidgeting a bit as they did.</p><p>“Yes! If it’s the time that’s not right, that’s not an issue, right? We have time! You’re still young! As long as you’re still here, it’ll never be to late!”</p><p>“Well, um, ‘young’, I’d say I’ve seen better days, but-“</p><p>Rose didn’t let Greg finish his awkward self-deprecation. She picked him up and spun him around, a slight laugh on her lips and a skip in her step.</p><p>“I promise to you, Greg! I’ll make sure everything will perfect for them when the time comes! I, Rose Quartz, swear, we won’t have this child until every last leftover of that awful, awful war is done and dealt with!” She put Greg down, her eyes still shining brightly like the jewel in her navel. “Every corrupted Gem, every last dangerous ruin or piece of technology! I’ll take care of all of them, so Nora, Steven will have a safe and happy life!! They’ll be here and laughing with you, the Crystal Gems, and all the other humans living here! Won’t that be great!?”</p><p>“Um, yeah…? It does sound pretty nice-“</p><p>“I have to get started right away!!”</p><p>Rose finally took her hands off Greg. Clapping them together, she turned towards her other friends.</p><p>“Garnet, when’s the Cloud of Illusions set to appear next?”</p><p>Garnet tugged her shades.</p><p>“Above Northern Canada in about- no, exactly two hours.”</p><p>“I can make that!”</p><p>Lifting her hem a little, Rose ran off towards the Warp Pad. Pearl leaped after her,</p><p>“Rose! You’re going alone!?”</p><p>“Oh yes! We should all split up! Pearl, have Garnet take you and Amethyst to the next Corruption’s location! Then Garnet can take the one after! That way, we can catch three times as many of them in the same time!”</p><p>“Me and Pearl? Blegh,” was Amethyst’s only comment as she rolled over in her spot.</p><p>Pearl herself, however, had a lot more to say, “What… No, wait! Rose!”</p><p>She didn’t get to continue. The Crystal Gem Leader had already stepped onto the warp pad and disappeared in a blinding ray of light. Left behind where Gems and a human in various states of befuddlement, looking at the spot she’d disappeared from.</p><p>“Hooooo boy,” was Greg’s final summary of the situation, hand on head.</p><p>“Well, that worked well,” added Garnet.</p><p>“‘Well’!?” Pearl contradicted her. “She’s more enthusiastic about having that <em>thing</em> now than ever!”</p><p>“N-No, no! It’s okay! This is just fine!” Greg was trying to convince himself just as much as Pearl. “I mean, what did Garnet say again? About how there’s still, like, a bajillion of these monsters left or something like that? Just think about how long it is gonna take you guys to deal with that!”</p><p>Garnet tugged her shades,</p><p>“14 years. Maybe 15.”</p><p>“S… See!? That gives us a whole decade and a half more to change her mind!”</p><p>“And how are you and your amazing Greg-ness going to do that?” Pearl asked in a mocking tone. “Change <strong>the </strong>Rose Quartz’ mind? In just 15 years!?”</p><p>Greg gave a non-comital shrug, “Maybe convince her to adoption? …I’ll work out the details, I swear!”</p><p>“What’s ‘adoption’??” Amethyst crawled closer.</p><p>“Buying a small human. I think,” said Garnet.</p><p>“Ooooh, sounds freaky! Let’s do that right now.”</p><p>“Amethyst!” Pearl hissed.</p><p>“Hey, who knows? Maybe Rose’ll like it! I’ll let her name it, you know! I know she likes naming stuff!”</p><p>“No. We are NOT getting another human!”</p><p>Pearl’s and Amethyst’s bickering was just background noise in Greg’s ears. He was lost in thought. He knew Pearl was right. They’d deterred Rose’s motherhood plans for now, but how long would this last? How long until she again decided that he… That <em>they</em> really didn’t need her anymore?</p><p>“…I can’t do this on my own,” he said, loud enough to catch the Gems’ attention. Amethyst and Pearl stopped arguing and looked at the man, as he turned to then, raising an arm. “If we really want to change Rose’s mind and convince her to… stay, it’s gonna need a whole lot more than just me appealing to practicality.”</p><p>Having said that, Greg stepped forward, towards Pearl. The hand he’d raised, he held out to her.</p><p>“You’re right, Pearl. I DO want to be special to Rose. But one day, I’ll be gone, and you’ll still be here. I want to be with Rose for as long as I can, and… If she’s still here too when it’s all over, then she’ll have you. Right?”</p><p>Pearl silently looked at Greg’s hand for a while. Hesitantly, but still, she ended up returning the gesture; She reached out her hand and shook his.</p><p>“Right,” she spoke seriously, not a hint of pettiness. “As long as we change her mind on this, we’ll both win… More or less.”</p><p>“Let’s focus on the ‘more’, not on the ‘less’,” Greg replied.</p><p>It was a strange sort of ceasefire, this unlikely alliance of theirs. They didn’t know where it would take them yet. All that mattered where the days Rose Quartz spent on this beach with her loved ones and that they wouldn’t end just because of one of her many sudden whims.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Episode 1: Just a Little Imperfect</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Rose's snack-time is interrupted by a blast from the past.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>That was 13 years ago.</p><p>To a human, 13 years is a long time, enough to build a life and lose it all again, but to a Gem, it’s nothing, just the blink of an eye. Or at least it <em>should </em>be. This time span shouldn’t matter to beings as ageless and ancient as the Crystal Gems. But be warned: You should never underestimate…</p><p>“No! My sketchbook!”</p><p>“Rose! Just let that thing be- Argh! They’re in my hair, <em>they’re in my hair</em>!!”</p><p>“Whoa, Rose, a little help over here!”</p><p>“But, my sketches-“</p><p>“Your book will be fine! We need to bubble the mother, <em>now</em>!”</p><p>…the impatience of Rose Quartz.</p><p>It was a scene that had become routine at the Crystal Temple for a while now. The Gems were fighting a monster and Rose, distracted by something seemingly small and insignificant, was failing to coordinate the battle effort effectively. In the end, they would win regardless. Garnet’s excellent situation assessment always made sure of that. Still, <em>some</em> of those present were beginning to find her lack of focus just a tad annoying.</p><p>Garnet’s reassurance helped. Rose left off from trying to retrieve the little ring-bound booklet the Nephrite’s spawn had kicked into a small enclave between the surrounding rock of the massive building, and instead turned towards aiding her comrades. Her first order of business was to leap over to Pearl and help her remove tiny Centipeetles that were clawing to her body. Next, she slid forward and cleaved through the small army of creatures keeping Amethyst in check. Finally, she joined Garnet in her fight against the mother. From meters above, the monstrous Nephrite’s eye glared down onto the two Gems. Rose gazed right back into it.</p><p>“Don’t worry.” she said. “I’ll fix you. I promise.”</p><p>“Rose! The tail!”</p><p>Garnet warned Rose just in time for the Nephrite to swing her enormous backside to strike the Crystal Gems. Rose and Garnet jumped, Pearl and Amethyst managed to get out of the way somehow as well. A loud crash echoed through the area. The Nephrite’s strike had struck one of the Obsidian Statue’s hands and snapped its thumb clean off.</p><p>“The Temple!” Pearl cried out.</p><p>“We’ll check for structural damage later!” Rose called back. “For now, we need to take care of this Nephrite’s physical form.”</p><p>“How are we gonna do that if she keeps making more of herself!?” Amethyst yelled, whipping away at a new barrage of small Centipeetles spitting acid her way.</p><p>It wasn’t as if the small fry was giving her any real trouble, of course, but dealing with them did distract her from focusing on the Nephrite proper. She didn’t notice the pincers of the Corruption’s tail flinging towards her from behind, aiming straight for her gem.</p><p>“<em>Amethyst</em>!”</p><p>Rose leapt to the younger gem’s defense without a thought. She drew her sword and slashed the Nephrite’s body in two before the pincers could close. Amethyst, who’d only just realized the ambush she was being saved from, stumbled in the shockwave caused by Rose’s strike and fell. From down on the floor she watched the Nephrite shriek and scream as her form came undone, dissolving into light and disappearing. All that remained was her eye – a perfectly round cabochon of green, translucent jade. This type of stone was called “nephrite”, the true form of the monster they had just defeated.</p><p>“I’m sorry for this…” Rose sighed, picking up the gem and giving it a good look. No cracks, no scratches. The only thing noticeable was an irregularly shaped inclusion that appeared to be slightly distorted. Actually… maybe, if she could fix this inclusion by reordering the crystal structure a little…</p><p>“Rose, hurry!” Garnet called from behind.</p><p>“If we don’t bubble it now, it’s going to reform!” Pearl added.</p><p>She sighed again. Maybe later, she supposed. Yes, there would still be a later, for now. She had to keep that in mind. Giving the nephrite gem a hearty tap, Rose made a pink, crystalline bubble form around it. Another tap, and the bubble was gone. Sent to the burning room at the heart of the Temple.</p><p>“Wheew… That was real close…” Amethyst had gotten back on her feet now and rushed over to join the others. Excitedly she raised a hand, begging for a Hi-Five. “Thanks for the save, Rose!”</p><p>“If you paid better attention to your surroundings, Rose wouldn’t have needed to save you in the first place!” Pearl pointed out with a furrowed brow.</p><p>Rose, however, gladly reciprocated Amethyst’s offer. With a ‘clap!’ their hands met.</p><p>“Let it be, Pearl,” Rose laughed softly. “I, for one, think Amethyst fought commendably just now.”</p><p>“Heck yeah, I did!”</p><p>“She’s a real fighter. Who knows? One day she might even be stronger than me!” said Rose, without a hint of iron.</p><p>Pearl couldn’t help but roll her eyes a bit, “I seriously doubt that…”</p><p>Those words were only a mumble, barely loud enough for Rose to hear, but she did hear, and it made her laugh again. A lot of people would have hated to see their loved ones contradict them in such a manner, but to Rose, seeing Pearl disagree with her, if only slightly, was always a nice thing to hear and see. It showed just how much had changed in these past few 1000 years. How much they’d already defied what it meant to be a ‘Gem’. Even if just in little ways…</p><p>While Rose was still lost in thoughts of appreciation, Amethyst and Pearl had started bickering again.</p><p>“One of these days, you are going to get Rose into serious trouble!”</p><p>“Trouble, like, what!? Rose is a TANK, girl! Like any of <em>those</em> freaks could ever seriously hurt <em>her</em>!”</p><p>“I think I know better than you what’s dangerous for Rose and what isn’t!”</p><p>“Oh, so now you’re gonna play the ‘I’ve been around for longer, I know better’ card again? Man, this is so lame…”</p><p>“It’s not a card, it’s called ‘reality’, and you’d do well to get a dose of it sometime!”</p><p>“You two,” Garnet went in-between, separating her two friends with her gauntlets. “need to cool down. We captured the Gem. That’s all that matters. I don’t think we need to bother Rose about things that are already in the past.”</p><p>“B-Bother!?” Pearl’s indignation was apparent. “<em>I’m</em> not bothering Rose! I’m just… looking out for our team coordination! Right, Rose!? Am I bothering you? …Rose?”</p><p>She didn’t answer. Rose had already split away from the group, walking back to the Temple, to the enclave that had consumed her attention earlier. She plunged her arm straight into it.</p><p>“Um… Hmpf… Ah… I-I can’t quite reach it…!”</p><p>The rest of the group caught up with her.  </p><p>“Reach what?” asked Pearl.</p><p>“Just shapeshift your arm really thin and long, Rose!” Amethyst suggested. “It’s really not hard.”</p><p>“Amethyst, you know Rose doesn’t like changing her form,” Pearl scolded.</p><p>“C’mon, it’s just an arm!”</p><p>“Yes. <em>Her</em> arm!”</p><p>Amethyst groaned, “Gah, you two are always so weird about this…”</p><p>Rose kept pushing and grabbing, but it was no use. With her current form, she simply couldn’t reach deep enough to grasp the item. A pout formed on her lips. She wasn’t going to give up! Never! From behind, she could sense the presence of somebody approaching. Pearl bent down to her.</p><p>“I could try in your stead if you asked me to, Rose,” she said. “…And told me what exactly it is you are trying to get, of course.”</p><p>Rose remained stubborn for a few more seconds, but eventually she breathed out turned to Pearl.</p><p>“Pearl, you can try if you want to! You don’t need to ask me.”</p><p>“Well, I don’t know what you’re trying to retrieve in the first place.”</p><p>“My sketchbook…”</p><p>“Oh! That flimsy, human-made collection of paper and cardboard?”</p><p>Pearl’s expression told Rose that she’d already forgotten all about it. She put her hands together and looked straight at Pearl. “It’s really important to me.”</p><p>Seeing Rose’s face right there, pleading and almost sad, softened Pearl’s own expression. She sighed and smiled a little, brushing a lock of pink hair out of the taller Gem’s face. “I understand. Just a moment. I’ll pull it out.”</p><p>“Only if it’s no trouble!”</p><p>“It never is.”</p><p>Briefly taking Pearl’s hand in a gesture of thanks and smiling back at her, Rose stood up and stepped back a little to give Pearl space to work. It was just then that they heard the small footsteps of a human running down the beach towards the Temple.</p><p>“Rose! You guys! Are you all okay?”</p><p>“<em>Whoohoo</em>, it’s Greg!!” Amethyst perked up immediately, sprinting off. Halfway on her way to him, she transfigured herself into a huge carpet and flew right in his face, warping him up in his run. Of course, he fell and they both ended up rolling on the floor, in the form of an Amethyst burrito with Greg filling.</p><p>“A-Ack! Amethyst, get off me, please! I-I can’t move!”</p><p>“Nah, no way, man! You can’t escape the HUG MASTER! Heh!”</p><p>Rose walked down in the sand, laughing at the scene before her.</p><p>“Ha ha… Well, someone is being especially affectionate again today.”</p><p>Amethyst transformed back, placing herself right next to Greg, who was now laid in the sand. She grinned up at Rose. “I’m just happy he’s come by! Cool stuff tends to happen when it’s the three of us!”</p><p>By ‘cool stuff’, Amethyst probably meant things such as their numerous shared trips or outings at the various food establishments around the city. These past couple years, Greg had often made time to show Rose around various places in this world he was fun of, and when he did so, Amethyst tended to tag along. It wasn’t always like this. Initially, it was rare for Rose to spend time with any of the Crystal Gems at the same time as with Greg. But a few years ago, Greg had had the idea to change that. <em>‘You know… And I know it’s not the same for Gems, but… y’know, Amethyst? She’s… kind of like a kid, right? Maybe we could try… treating her like one? You know, teach her about the world, show her places? That’s what I would’ve wanted when I was her—I mean, a kid!’ </em>Rose was amazed by the idea, even more-so when she realized that even Pearl seemed to be fully supportive of it. It struck her as odd at first, given how much Pearl had always tended to criticize the Quartz… But maybe, that was just it? By letting Amethyst have all these experiences, they were allowing her to learn and grow, maybe even find out the kind of Gem she wants to be for herself! That thought excited Rose, even now, and so, seeing Amethyst’s enthusiastic way of greeting Greg, too, made her happy.</p><p>“Gree~g! Wanna treat!” Amethyst begged, bouncing on top of the man.</p><p>“Heh, alright, alright! Hang on just a sec…”</p><p>Greg shifted just enough to reach his pockets even with Amethyst abusing his ribcage as a trampoline, then pulled out a couple of small mints and handed them over. Amethyst instantly devoured the offering – wrapper and all. “Aww, y’guys are spoilin’ me!” she grinned.</p><p>“Yeah, but those are the last for this week, okay? If I let you have anymore, I won’t have any left for the customers at the car wash.”</p><p>“Wha—Seriously!? C’mon, man!”</p><p>Amethyst then broke out into a short rant about how she’d TOTALLY get herself a car from the garbage dump and bring it over to be washed, if only Greg didn’t take away her munchies, you couldn’t take away her munchies, Amethyst and grub belonged together, that was law- Rose laughed. It was over the sweet sound of her laughter that Greg, still on the floor, looked up at her and asked a question.</p><p>“Anyway… Is everything okay with you guys? I heard noise and came as fast as I could!”</p><p>“Don’t do that,” said Garnet. “Corrupted Gems are highly dangerous to fragile organic life. Even if you came on time, you’d be a hindrance, not a help.”</p><p>“T-There was a Gem Monster here!?”</p><p>“Don’t worry, Greg,” Rose helped him stand up. “We already defeated the Nephrite. She’s sleeping with the others in the burning room now.”</p><p>“Y-Yeah, but… Beach City, again!? That was, like, the third one this month!”</p><p>“Corrupted Gems are drawn to other Gems,” Garnet explained with a shrug.</p><p>“We don’t know the reason ourselves.” This voice belonged to Pearl, who’d now fulfilled her task and rejoined the group. “But as long as we’re here, these Gems will keep coming after the Temple and this town.”</p><p>“I mean, I kind of figured as much, but…” Greg sighed. “Hoo boy.”</p><p>“Well, we <em>did</em> warn the humans when they decided to settle here in the first place!” That said, Pearl dusted off the object she was caring under her arm and handed it over to their leader. “Anyway, Rose, I believe this is what you were looking for?”</p><p>“My sketchbook! Thank you so much, Pearl!” Rose took back the small book and squeezed it to her body, sighing in relief.</p><p>“What’s that thing anyway?” Amethyst crawled onto Rose’s shoulder to catch a glimpse.</p><p>“I’m interested too,” said Garnet, stepping closer.</p><p>“Whatever you have been reading, Rose, I am sure it is very good,” Pearl noted sweetly.</p><p>Greg, too, joined the group, but being the second shortest, after Amethyst, who was currently clinging to Rose’s shoulder, he had a hard time getting a good view of the item of interest. Rose noticed that little issue and so, she sat down on a nearby rock, motioning Pearl and Greg to sit down left and right from her. That way, everyone would hopefully get an equally good view.</p><p>“Oh, I haven’t been reading,” she replied to Pearl with a delay. “It’s more like… I’ve been trying to put down my thoughts.”</p><p>“Thoughts? What kind of thoughts?” Pearl asked.</p><p>Rose answered the question by opening the book and flipping through its pages, slowly enough for her companions to get a good look of each page. What they saw were drawings, one or two on each page, somewhat crude, but yet with enough detail to tell that the artist had put a lot of love into each one. Each one showed a small person, most about Amethyst’s size, some even shorter. Some looked girlish, some boyish, others quite indeterminate. Curly hair, wavy hair, big eyes, small eyes, shirts and skirts and dresses and pants of all kinds, pinks and browns and little star-shaped accessories all over. The drawings all had only one thing in common: A large, pink gem with six factettes, located where a human’s navel would be. Besides the drawing, two words were written on every single page: Nora and Steven. Nora and Steven, Nora and Steven, Nora and Steven…</p><p>Pearl and Greg threw each other worried glances from Rose’s sides.</p><p>“R-Rose… By any chance” Pearl started.</p><p>“Are those…?” Greg continued.</p><p>The light in Rose’s eyes was brilliantly bright. “I’ve been so excited for you all to finally meet them! But… tidying up has been taking a while. So, I decided to try and imagine them a little!”</p><p>Rose continued to flip through the pages of her sketchbook.</p><p>“See, this one got Greg’s eyes! This one has my nose and Greg’s hair! This one has my lips and Greg’s ears!”</p><p>“I can’t really tell…” Garnet, trying to decipher Rose’s artistic choices, admitted, and Amethyst laughed.</p><p>“Ahaha, yeah! Rose, you kinda suck at this!”</p><p>Rose didn’t take Amethyst’s words as an insult. Instead, she poked her nose and grinned. “Just you wait and see! When you meet the real Nora or Steven, I’m sure you’ll love them!”</p><p>“If they’re anything like you and Greg, betcha I will!”</p><p>Among all the sweetness and fluff of the scene, Pearl subtly motioned Greg to stand up, and he nodded. Making sure to not attract attention, the two snuck away from the scene, all the while Rose and the remaining Crystal Gems kept talking.</p><p>“What’s up with those letters all over the place anyway?” asked Amethyst. “That some kind of weird language?”</p><p>“You know how humans give each other names to tell individuals apart? Greg and I went through some human names back when I first decided to have a child! I picked the two I liked the best.”</p><p>“Nora and Steven,” Garnet read out, and Rose nodded.</p><p>“Yes! Greg looked it up for me. Nora means ‘honor’ and ‘light’, and Steven means ‘crown’ and ‘honor’!”</p><p>Amethyst burst out laughing, “That’s almost the same!”</p><p>“Yes, because it will be a great honor for me to have part in creating such a special life!” Rose explained. She sighed. “They’re like… a little crown of light, that will be so much more meaningful than anything before in my life.”</p><p>“I see. Both names together have a bigger meaning.” Garnet couldn’t help but smirk. “Like a fusion.”</p><p>“Exactly!”</p><p>While this conversation was going on, Pearl and Greg had taken to hiding behind the remains of the Obsidian Statue’s broken thumb and having a discussion of their own.</p><p>“This is getting out of control. It’s been 13 years, and she <em>still</em> keeps thinking about that child!”</p><p>“Hey, don’t tell me!” Greg defended himself. “I’ve tried everything, getting her to try new foods, showing her all the best places, a human can go, everything with Amethyst-”</p><p>“A lot of good THAT did, other than giving Amethyst that dreadful mint-addiction.”</p><p>“- Would you let me finish? I swear, I’ve been doing my best to get her mind off this whole ‘giving up her physical form to have a kid with me’ thing!”</p><p>“Then ‘your best’ evidently isn’t good enough!” Pearl replied, but she quickly bit her tongue and stopped herself from spitting any more venom. The harshness on her face was replaced with urgency and honest concern. “My apologies. But we’re running out of time here, Greg. If Garnet’s prediction is correct – and let’s be honest, when is it ever <em>not</em> correct – we have only two years left before all remnants of the Gem War have been dealt with!”</p><p>“Then… I don’t know, maybe we should try to… sabotage the ‘dealing with’?”</p><p>“What!? We <em>can’t </em>do that!”</p><p>“Well, it’s the only thing we haven’t tried yet that I can still think of.”</p><p>Their conversation was interrupted by a pair of quartzine voices.</p><p>“Heeeeey! Whatcha guys doing?</p><p>“What are you two talking about over here, all by yourselves?”</p><p>Pearl and Greg froze up. Rose and Amethyst were curiously peaking down at them from above the stone finger they were hiding behind.</p><p>“H-How much did you hear?” Greg blurted out, which caused Pearl to hiss at him under her breath.</p><p>“<em>Greg…!</em>”</p><p>Thankfully, Pearl’s hissing was mostly drowned out by Amethyst’s laughing at Greg’s overly awkward reaction. Rose didn’t catch that Pearl had said anything. Instead, she proceeded to reply to Greg’s question.</p><p>“Oh, I didn’t hear anything, really. I just noticed you had left and wanted to know where you went.”</p><p>To that, Greg and Pearl sighed.</p><p>“Why? Should I have heard something?” asked Rose.</p><p>“N-No, it’s alright!” Pearl assured her. “It’s fine, really, it wasn’t important anyway!”</p><p>“Yeah! If it was, you’d be the first we’d let know!!” Greg joined in.</p><p>Hearing that made Rose smile, “I see then. Important private talk between friends, huh?”</p><p>“Y-Yeah!” Greg nodded.</p><p>“That’s exactly it!” Pearl agreed.</p><p>“Heh heh. You know, I’ve been really glad to see how much better the two of you have been getting along these past years,” Rose said. “For a while I didn’t think you’d ever get to like each other. But lately, you’ve really been spending a lot of time together. You’re both important to me, so… It makes me so happy knowing you’ve found a way to really bond!”</p><p>Greg and Pearl answered Rose’s genuine smile with awkward, quiet laughs. It was true; in the past ten years the both of them had worked hard to stop fighting for attention and instead learn to collaborate and rely on each other. Though, contrary to how Rose seemed to see it, this had nothing to do with ‘bonding’. An alliance of convenience, that’s all it was. They were the league of Rose’s sworn, hidden guardians, and they’d protect her from anything that might threaten her smile. Even herself, if necessary. Rose herself was still as oblivious of this pledge as she’d been 13 years ago.</p><p>“Ha ha… Well, once the two of you are done ‘hanging out’,” she added airquotes to the words. “Come back and join me with Garnet and Amethyst! I’ve got so many more ideas about Nora and Steven I would love to share with you!”</p><p>This was the end of Greg’s and Pearl’s strategy meeting. The two of them were pulled right back into the round of Rose sharing her many ideas regarding her and Greg’s future children, all the while Amethyst kept innocently encouraging Rose’s enthusiasm and Garnet proved equally unhelpful in dissuading her. Pearl and Greg couldn’t blame them. They knew all too well how excited Garnet got when it came to anything to do with love and fusion, and as for Amethyst, she barely even seemed aware of the gravity of what Rose was planning to do. Still, having to listen to Rose swoon about her ideas like this could get heartbreaking after a while, especially to Pearl. It was hear who, after about 15 minutes of Rose pointing out every possible detail in her sketches, made an attempt to change the topic.</p><p>“Soooo, I think that’s enough about us Gems for now! I know, let’s talk about humans! Greg, what is new in the human town of Beach City?”</p><p>“U-Um, me, why-“ He only needed to catch a glance of Pearl’s expression to realize ‘why’. “Um! Well… There’s a bit of News I can think about! Like, I’m trying to record a mini album for the 20<sup>th</sup> anniversary of the carwash next year… The Pizzas are trying new toppings, Mayor Dewey is working on his reelection campaign, the Frymans are still trying to catch the thief that keeps drinking their used oil, sometimes with the fries still inside-“ (Proud laughter could be heard from Amethyst at this point.) “-Oh, and I guess they stopped making those Cookie Cat Ice Cream Sandwiches.”</p><p>That got Rose’s attention. “Oh! <em>Oh no</em>! Not the Cookie Cats!”</p><p>“Aw, yeah… They were your favorite, weren’t they?” Greg awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck. Drat, he’d forgotten. Had he managed to make Rose upset now? The look she had on her face right now was heart wrenching for sure. Big, wet eyes looked down onto him with a scowl befitting a lost puppy. He had to fix this. Greg got up on his feet and gestured to calm her, “Rose, Rose, it’s okay! Think of all the other Ice Cream out there waiting for you to try it!”</p><p>“He’s right, Rose,” Pearl said, calmly putting a hand on the larger Gem’s shoulder. “There will always be Lion Lickers.”</p><p>“I… I <em>do</em> like lions,” Rose admitted. “But nothing can replace Cookie Cats! They tasted of sweet strawberries and fragrant vanilla, with a crunchy chocolate outside!”</p><p>“Aww, man, you’re making me hungry!” Amethyst moaned.</p><p>“They were so, so adorable…”</p><p>Rose sat down on the ground and began to stare at it, drawing tiny cat-shapes into the sand with her fingers. This concerning sight made Pearl and Greg nod at one another, both sitting down as well cuddling up to the Crystal Gem leader.</p><p>“Were those treats really that important to you?” Pearl asked, petting Rose’s hair. “You know, if we looked around a bit, I am sure we could still find a few of the Cookie Cats for you to indulge in.”</p><p>“We can also make our own,” Greg added. “I’ve got a freezer in my van and… I think I saw a tutorial on how to make ice cream sandwiches on the internet. How hard can it be!”</p><p>Rose sighed and put her arms around the both of them, giving two half-hugs. “Thank you both. That’s very sweet of you. But I’m mostly just sad that they will never get to have that experience of going to a store and finding this cute, little face, ready to be taken out of the freezer and bought for them to enjoy…”</p><p>“Um… ‘they’…?” Pearl asked, as if she didn’t know the answer already. She mostly hoping her hunch would prove mistaken, but life wasn’t so kind.</p><p>“…Nora or Steven…” Rose mumbled with another forlorn sigh.</p><p>Pearl and Greg sighed, too. So much for taking Rose’s mind of her potential child. Seemed like they would have to give up on distracting her for now. Rose’s emotional wellbeing took priority. It always would. Pearl signaled Greg to take the floor. Even though she hated to admit it, when it came to cheering Rose up when she was feeling down, Greg was always just a tad better than Pearl.</p><p>“Hey now… Just because there won’t be any more Cookie Cats, it doesn’t mean the kid won’t ever have that experience you’re talking about.” Greg leaned in to Rose a little, lifting up her chin gently to look in her eyes. “I didn’t have Cookie Cats when I grew up, but you know what I looked forward to whenever I got a chance to buy some?”</p><p>“No? What?”</p><p>“Well… Hot Dogs!” Greg explained. “Especially the fatty ones fresh from the grill, with loads of mustard and ketchup! The oiler, the better! Every summer, I’d sneak off to find the one truck in town that sold them… And then, I’d eat three or four before making my way back home and coming up with an excuse why I couldn’t have dinner tonight.”</p><p>For a moment, Rose’s mouth formed a surprised O-shape. Then, she started laughing.</p><p>“Ahaha… I should’ve known!” she said. “You and your Hot Dogs!”</p><p>“The Hot Dog itself is a metaphor for my life,” Greg announced in a faux-solemn manner.</p><p>“The beauty of imperfection,” she agreed, cuddling up against Greg’s shoulder.</p><p>While this was going on, Pearl tried to look away. Jealousy was misplaced here. What mattered was that Rose was happy. Greg, meanwhile, indulged.</p><p>“I’m sure, when the kid is here, there’ll still be plenty of great treats around for them to enjoy! I’m sure they’ll find one that makes them feel the way you thought Cookie Cats would in no time!”</p><p>“…Right!”</p><p>Rose jumped up, forcing Pearl to back away a little and causing Greg to tumble over, face-first into the sand. Pearl snorted when she saw that, which Greg made an effort to ignore. In the meantime, Rose had begun twirling across the beach, looking much happier than before.</p><p>“Humans make so many great treats! We just have to find out where in this town they have the best ones, and then when Nora, Steven is here, you can tell them where exactly to go to discover their very own Cookie Cat or Hot Dog!”</p><p>“Ah, actually, I don’t think they’ll need us to tell them anything for tha-“</p><p>“I’ll get started searching right away!”</p><p>Rose ran off with these words, away from the beach, towards Beach City Walk. Greg and the other Crystal Gems stayed behind, looking at each other with only slight confusion. Barely even done fighting a Gem Monster, she’d already taken on yet another personal project. At times Rose could be bafflingly impulsive.</p>
<hr/><p> The sound of the entrance door’s bell catching her attention, Sadie Miller hurriedly closed the app she was using and set her phone aside where the customers wouldn’t see it. As so often, Lars was taking one of his patented “five-minutes” breaks before getting to cleaning the windows, which left only her to serve the customer.</p><p>“Hello and welcome to the Big Donut! May I take your-“</p><p> The rest of the sentence remained stuck in her throat when she saw the customer that had entered. Instead of one of their regulars, Sadie found a tall, imposing woman in the shop’s doorway. Her long, voluminous pink locks and the ball dress she was wearing made her look somewhat like a beautiful queen or fairy godmother from a picture book. For a moment, Sadie was too startled to say anything else. Instead she just watched the lady walk into the shop, smiling warmly as she did.</p><p>“Hello to you as well. I hope you’re having a lovely day.”</p><p>“You’re…” Sadie tried her hardest not to stutter. “Oh-! Right! You’re the mother of that purple girl who always buys the party box, aren’t you? I sometimes see the two of you around town with Mr. Universe from the car wash!”</p><p>Rose laughed. “Ahahah, I’m not… exactly Amethyst’s mother. But you’ve got the right idea! My name is Rose. What’s yours?”</p><p>“O-Oh-“</p><p>Sadie was a little flustered. A first-time customer engaging in casual talk so quickly wasn’t something she was used to. Then again, this lady wasn’t ‘exactly’ a first timer, right? It was just the first time she actually entered the store on her own, rather than just waiting outside for Mr. Universe or that ‘Amethyst’-girl to make their purchase… Uh, this was still nerve-wrecking. Why did her customer-service face always fail her around beautiful people like this? Sadie took a deep breath and calmed her nerves.</p><p>“I’m Miller- I mean, Sadie! Sadie Miller!”</p><p>Without thinking, Sadie reached out a hand for the lady to shake, who gladly accepted.</p><p>“It’s nice to meet you, Sadie! You’ve got a very lovely name. I hope we’ll be good friends.”</p><p>“Aww, shucks…” Okay, this was getting too much. She even could feel herself blushing. Focus, Sadie, focus! The real matter at hand was- “Ahem! So, I bet you came here for some donuts, right? So, what are you in the market for?”</p><p>“Oh, I don’t know…” Rose let her eyes wander across the display in front of her. She licked her lips a little. “They all look so good! Did you make them?”</p><p>“O-Oh, no, no! We don’t exactly, um… ‘make’ the donuts here anymore.”</p><p>She knew she’d better not tell the lady about the ‘incident’. Else this would probably be the last time ever she’d see her or any other members of her family in here.</p><p>“Still, it’s so difficult to decide. And really, I’m here to scout…”</p><p>“‘Scout’, huh?”</p><p>“I know! Just give me one of each, so I can try them all!”</p><p>Sadie jumped a little, “Wait, you want to try them all!? Don’t you think that’s going to be a bit too expe-“</p><p>Before Sadie could finish the sentence, the lady placed a small pile of shiny objects on the table. Tiny, translucent crystals reflected light in rainbow colors, looking entirely out of place in a fast food joint like this.</p><p>“Do you think that will cover it?” The lady asked.</p><p>Sadie blinked a few times. “Holy--- Are these REAL diamonds??”</p><p>The way the woman called ‘Rose’ nodded at this question was far too relaxed for Sadie’s taste. Why did it feel like she’d suddenly gotten involved in some sort of conspiracy? Were these stones actual genuine? Where did she get them? A robbery? Or was she some sort of retired tycoon…? Calm down, Sadie. A customer was a customer. There was no need to worry too much about this, right? If she needed to do a check later, she could always ask Mr. Universe about it. For now, all she had to do was her job.</p><p>“…I’m gonna need a calculator for this. Please hang on for a moment!”</p><p>Sadie bent down behind the counter and began to cram around in the drawers there. While she did so, Rose began pacing around the shop, eyeing all the posters and various items on display with interest. Finally, she began talking again.</p><p>“So… You said you thought I was Amethyst’s mother?” she asked.</p><p>Sadie peaked up briefly, “Well, I’ve only ever seen you with her or Mr. Universe, so I sort of assumed.”</p><p>“So, you think I look like a mother?”</p><p>Sadie snapped back upright. “W-Wait! I didn’t mean that you look old or something, I just-“</p><p>“Ahaha, it’s alright! Compared to you, I <em>am</em> old. Very, actually.”</p><p>“Oh… I see.”</p><p>How old exactly did she mean? By appearance alone, Sadie would have judged this lady to be in her early 30s, maybe a bit older, but the way she said that made it sound like that wasn’t just all there was to it… This encounter just kept getting stranger.</p><p>“Do you think I could <em>be</em> a mother?” The lady continued to question.</p><p>“Ah, huh?” Now, if that wasn’t a loaded question. What had she gotten herself into? Sadie shifted around awkwardly. “I mean… Sure. If you want to be?”</p><p>“A good one?”</p><p>“Um- I-I’m sorry!” This just kept getting more awkward. “I wouldn’t know about that. I mean, the only ‘mother’ I really know is my own Mom, and…”</p><p>Sadie bit her lip for a moment. “-Ah! Right, right! Donuts! One of everything, coming right up!”</p><p>Hurriedly, Sadie pulled out a couple of cardboard shapes from under the cash register and began to fold a quartet of rectangular boxes from them. Rose watched her curiously, but also with a wrinkle on her forehead.</p><p>“Do you… not like your mother?” she asked, sounding a bit confused.</p><p>“It’s not that I don’t like her. I-It’s just…” Why was she having this conversation with a customer? “Look, I’m still a teenager. All kids disagree with their parents sometimes, that’s just normal! But it also means that it’s really just kinda hard for me to say what makes my Mom a ‘good’ Mom, you know? That’s really all there’s to it.”</p><p>“Hmmm… It’s normal for children to disagree with their parents?” Rose thought about this for a bit as she watched Sadie pack the four boxes with donuts. “…I don’t think my child and I are ever going to have a disagreement like that.”</p><p>“Huh?” Sadie looked at her. “How come?”</p><p>“Because it’s not possible,” Rose said, stone-faced. “It just isn’t.”</p><p>“That’s… awfully optimistic.”</p><p>“No. It’s a fact. Just that.”</p><p>Sadie starred at the lady for a while. Rose starred back at her. Eyes in eye, locked. Before Sadie sighed and broke eye-contact. She began to seal up the boxes.</p><p>“Well, Miss…es? If you really want to be a good mother,” she started. “I think you’ll first need to stop doing this.”</p><p>“Doing what?”</p><p>“Trying to predict what your child’s gonna be like. I’m sorry, but you can’t just go and decide what they’re gonna agree or disagree with when they’re not even born yet!”</p><p>“But… Everything that makes them up will be taken from Greg and me!” Rose argued. “So, they should be like a Fusion of the two of us… right?”</p><p>“It’s… a bit more complicated than that,” Sadie said. “Just… never expect your child to be anything like you. And, for goodness’ sake, don’t try to live your life through them! You have no idea what that sort of thing does to kids like me…”</p><p>With that, Sadie sealed up the last box and set it on top of the other three boxes. Rose was quiet. She wasn’t supposed to live through Nora or Steven…? That was going to make things… difficult.</p><p>“Well, I’ll be, um… converting the diamonds to dollars now. Please wait a bit.”</p><p>Sadie held the calculator she was looking for before in her hand now, as well as her phone, which she was using to look up the current value of diamond by the gram on the internet now. If this didn’t count as the weirdest thing she’d ever had to do for a customer, she didn’t know what did. She wondered how complicated giving change was going to be….</p><p>Her conversion excursion ended when Sadie realized that, by the time she was trying to enter the numbers, the solar-powered calculator had switched itself off.</p><p>“…What? Oh, c’mon!” She shook the calculator. “What’s wrong with this-“</p><p>It was that moment that Sadie realized that this wasn’t a problem with the calculator… but with its energy source. All of a sudden, it had gotten dark in the shop. Much, much too dark.</p><p>“Wait, what? But… it should be noon!”</p><p>Without a further thought, Sadie dropped her phone and the calculator on the counter and ran to the store entrance. Rose was right behind her, her expression just shocked as the pastry vendor’s. Together, they ran out onto Beach City Walk. The sight they saw there, Sadie wouldn’t forget for the rest of her life. Up in the cloudless, blue sky, a large sphere hung, slowly but surely covering the sun with its presence.</p><p>“An eclipse?” Sadie mumbled. “But… they didn’t say anything about…”</p><p>No. This definitely wasn’t a normal eclipse. That thing covering the sun? That wasn’t the moon. It was far too red and geometrical, looked far too mechanical. In fact it almost looked as it was coming closer…</p><p>To her side, Sadie heard a panicked whisper.</p><p>“No… No, no, no!”</p><p>When she looked next to her, Sadie saw a horrified expression on the face of the woman with her. Pupils shrunken down to tiny dots and pale as a sheet, the lady wasn’t moving a muscle, didn’t even seem to be breathing.</p><p>“Um… Miss? Mrs…Universe?” Sadie asked carefully.</p><p>She didn’t acknowledge her. Slowly, the woman’s body began to tremble. She took a few slow steps backwards. “No, no, no! This can’t be! Please no… <em>No, no, no, no!</em>”</p><p>Rose was now clutching her head, shaking it in what Sadie could only interpret as either pain or fear. Maybe it was both. The teenage girl was stunned by just how shaken that elegant, imposing woman seemed all of a sudden. What was going on? Was this some kind of phobia? Or… did she know something about this ‘eclipse’ that Sadie didn’t?</p><p>“Hey… Rose? Are you okay? What’s going on?”</p><p>“A Red Eye… <em>Why is there a Red Eye…!?</em>”</p><p>“A ‘Red Eye’…?”</p><p>“<em>Ah-!</em>”</p><p> Without saying anything else, Rose ran away, down the boardwalk, back to the beach. She left behind a baffled Sadie, starring in her direction.</p><p>“W-Wait! You left your donuts-!”</p><p>She was already too far away to hear her, wasn’t she? Oh well. Even if it was just an excuse, Sadie figured it was a good one. She rushed back into the store, grabbed the four boxes of pastries, tied them together with some tape and then hurried to chase the runaway customer down to the beach. Sadie was just as curious as she was scared. This woman clearly knew what this weird, unnatural eclipse was about, and Sadie wanted to know. And even if it meant violating the store’s ‘No Deliveries’ policy, who cared? Lars sure wouldn’t. She was just doing her job and selling donuts. That was all this was.</p>
<hr/><p>“Pearl! Garnet!” Rose cried out as soon as she got close enough to the others.</p><p>They all ran and met her half-way.</p><p>“Rose, I’m sorry!” Garnet said. “I should have seen this, but I was too distracted, and-“</p><p>“What is it anyway!?” Greg demanded to know.</p><p>Pearl turned to explain, “It’s a Red Eye. A Homeworld Gem Tracking and Surveillance device.”</p><p>“It can detect and identify Gems on any given planet, no matter how far away, and relay the information to its operator on Homeworld almost instantly,” Rose mumbled. She was trembling so much, that her words almost got lost in a stutter a few times.</p><p>Greg jumped, “S-So… Those Homeworld Gems know you’re here now!?”</p><p>“Not yet. It needs to get closer than this to get an accurate reading…” Pearl said and summoned her spear. “We need to destroy it before it does!”</p><p>“Oh yeah! <em>Clobbering time</em>!” Amethyst morphed into a huge cannonball. “C’mon, Garnet, Rose! Throw me!!”</p><p>“That won’t work,” Rose said. “Red Eyes are made of a special alloy that is meant to withstand the vacuum of space for up to thousands of years. The mass of a Gem isn’t enough to damage it!”</p><p>“Then throw Greg too!”</p><p>“W-Wait, I didn’t agree to this!”</p><p>“We’re not throwing anybody!” Rose had finally managed to shake off her anxiety and raise her voice just loudly enough to quiet down everyone else. She turned to Pearl. “Pearl, you, Garnet and Amethyst try to slow the Red Eyes’ descend! The more time you buy us, the better!”</p><p>“Understood,” Pearl said.</p><p>“On it!!” Amethyst gave a fist pump, and Garnet nodded.</p><p>Rose then turned to Greg. “Greg, I’m going to need your help getting the-“</p><p>“<em>Heeeeeey</em>!!” A voice that belonged to none of them interrupted the Crystal Gems’ conversation, and made them turn to see a short, roughly Amethyst-sized figure approaching, carrying a considerable payload. “<em>Lady</em>!”</p><p>“Why is there another human here!?” Pearl shrieked, grabbing her hair</p><p>Rose gasped, “Oh no…”</p><p>“Sadie Miller?” Greg raised an eyebrow. “That’s where you were? The Big Donut? But they <em>only</em> sell donuts!”</p><p>“Well, maybe Nora or Steven likes donuts!”</p><p>“Not the time and place,” Garnet said. “Rose, I assume you’re getting the cannon?”</p><p>Rose nodded, “I have one in Greg’s old storage unit.”</p><p>“That old mess? Oh boy…” Greg sighed. “It’s gonna take us ages to dig it out of there.”</p><p>“That’s still faster than going to where the other cannons are,” said Rose. “Greg, please get the Van.”</p><p>“Alright, Rose.”</p><p>Just as he finished that sentence, a certain blond girl had managed to catch up with the group, going into her knees by Rose’s feet and plopping the tower of donut boxes down in the sand, trying to recuperate the energy her small marathon down to the beach had cost her.</p><p>“<em>Your… order… miss…!</em>” she gasped out.</p><p>“Eh…” Greg rubbed the back of his neck. “I guess we’re taking her back to town, too?”</p><p>Rose nodded. “That would be the safest for everyone, yes.”</p><p>In the background, Amethyst had already begun to relish and annihilate the contents of Sadie’s generous “delivery”.</p>
<hr/><p>“So, let me get this straight. You are all aliens, and that thing up in the sky is an alien weapon that’s come to track you guys down so it can tell the other aliens whether they should come back down and kill us all?”</p><p>Sadie slumped back in her seat. Of course, she’d always known that weird things are going on with the girls from the beach temple, everybody knew that, but all this Sci-Fi mumbo-jumbo was a little much. Almost like something Ronaldo Fryman would be rambling about. It made her head hurt a little.</p><p>“Well, um, I’m not a Gem,” Greg Universe said. “But the rest is, um… pretty spot on, from what I know, yeah!”</p><p>“I’m so, so sorry…” Rose in the co-driver’s seat let her head hang, her fringe hiding her eyes from view. These four words were the only thing she’d said throughout the entire ride so far. Greg rarely saw her as despondent as this. It was honestly hard for him.</p><p>“Hey, cheer up, Rose! You heard what Pearl said, right? If you destroy this eye-thing in time, everything will be alright. Right?”</p><p>“…Right.” Rose whispered, nodding slightly. Then she sighed again.</p><p>“This is so crazy… I’d never have thought that Mr. Universe from the car-wash was involved with something as insane as defending the earth from interstellar enemies!”</p><p>“Um, I don’t usually get involved with those parts of Rose’s life,” Greg admitted. “I just happened to be around today, that’s all.”</p><p>“Greg shouldn’t <em>have to</em> get involved. Neither should you, Sadie,” Rose said, looking back across her shoulder to meet the girl’s eyes. “This is our fight. Gems brought dangers like this to the planet, so we Gems should be the one to protect it.”</p><p>“I don’t know… What about people who want to get involved, though?” Sadie asked.</p><p>“Hm?”</p><p>“This is our planet. I’m sure there’s a lot of people here who’d love to fight to defend it together with you, if they knew that stuff like this is going on. Have you ever considered maybe just… Telling the world?”</p><p>Rose turned back around, “They’re better off not knowing. If I could, I’d make sure nobody in this town would have to know either.”</p><p>“Well, I don’t think that’s fair.”</p><p>“Hm?”</p><p>“Just because you don’t <em>like</em> people being in danger, it doesn’t mean that they aren’t!” Sadie explained. “Maybe it’s not my place to speak, but… Don’t you think people should have a right to decide what they want or don’t want to fight for themselves?”</p><p>Those words made Rose raise her head a little. Decide for themselves… that phrase resonated deep in her gem, like a tuning form struck against it.</p><p>“Argh… What am I even talking about?” Sadie groaned a little. “S-Sorry, I don’t even know why I’m getting so riled up about this. I mean… Gosh, I’m a cashier! It’s not like I <em>could</em> do anything to help, even if I wanted to.</p><p>“No, no. You’re right. In fact,” Rose looked at Sadie again, this time smiling. “You’re the exact kind of person I would love to invite to be a Crystal Gem… If you were a Gem, that is.”</p><p>“…Hah hah. Okay, I’ll take that as a compliment.” Sadie felt her face flushing again.</p><p>Rose then turned back around, “But still. I can’t let anyone else get involved in these battles.”</p><p>“Why not?”</p><p>The Gem lowered her head again, “It’s the least I can do… to make up.”</p><p>“Hm…?”</p><p>Greg had been listening over the entire conversation. This was a side of Rose’s he knew well and could relate to. The regrets of her past. She didn’t like talking about who she was before forming the Crystal Gems, much like how Greg disliked talking about what his life was like before he became Greg Universe. So, they never did speak about these things. That was their mutual understanding, and he was quite happy with it. …But sometimes, in moments like these he did find himself wondering, what it was that was causing Rose so much anguish about her part in the war, and what it was that she seemed to be trying to, for lack of a better term, ‘atone’ for so badly.  Oh well. He was a human and she was a Gem. By the time she’d ever be ready to talk about this, he’d probably be long gone. He was okay with that fact.</p><p>“Alright… There we are.”</p><p>By the time they arrived at Greg’s garage, the Red Eye’s silhouette had grown considerably in the sky. They didn’t have any time to lose, not even to send off Sadie, who insisted that she wanted to help. So, it came that the three of them, two humans and a Gem, ended up searching the cluttered, old storage unit together, each going another direction. A flashlight, Sadie’s phone and the light of Rose’s Gem lit their ways.</p><p>“Wait. I still had that T-Shirt cannon? Why?”</p><p>“Oops, I think I broke a picture! Sorry, Mr. Universe!”</p><p>“Greg, Sadie! I found it!”</p><p>The trio quickly regrouped around Rose’s location. There it was: A large, pale pink cannon, decorated with jewels and the emblem of the rebellion by its sides. Rose felt relief. This would do.</p><p>“Whoa, this thing is huge!” Sadie pointed out. “How do we get it out of here?”</p><p>“You two, please make a path,” was all Rose said. She proceeded to walk over to the device and pick it up barehanded.</p><p>Sadie leapt, “<em>Whoa</em>!”</p><p>“Yeaaah, Rose is a lot stronger than she looks,” Greg laughed awkwardly. “I had to learn that the hard way!”</p><p>“…Bone-crushing hugs?” Sadie asked.</p><p>“Bone-crushing hugs,” Greg confirmed.</p><p>Missing out on that conversation, Rose carried the cannon over to them. “Let’s load it onto the Van and get back to Pearl and the others!”</p><p>Carrying the cannon out of the disaster that was Greg’s garage was surprisingly easy. Getting it to the beach was another story. It broke the cart when they tried to load it on, so Rose ended up holding it in her lap, sitting on the van’s roof and using her levitation powers to make sure that wouldn’t break too, as Greg drove them back to the beach. Again, Sadie joined them. She insisted she wanted to see this through to the end, even if she couldn’t do much. ‘<em>The Big Donut is right next to the beach and, besides, I never gave Rose her change!</em>’ was Sadie’s explanation, but Greg knew better. This whole thing was exciting, especially for a teenager. Who would want to go back to their boring day job if they could witness something like this firsthand? Greg knew, when he was Sadie’s age, he definitely wouldn’t have wanted to miss out on this. He wondered if Rose understood that sort of thing as well.</p><p>Talking of Rose, up on the Van’s roof she was starring at the horizon, then the Red Eye, then her sketchbook and then nothing in particular. She was lost in her thoughts and a lot of things Sadie had said replayed in her mind. Whatever her future her child would choose for themself, even if Garnet could see it, Rose couldn’t control it. And if this was earth, where everyone got to choose their own destiny… How would that child choose, when faced with a Red Eye? With Homeworld? With Yellow and Blue? With… White? The thought scared her, and by the time they arrived back at the Temple, an idea that had once felt like the crown of Rose’s existence now had taken on a far more ambivalent tone in her mind. It laid in her stomach, heavy like bricks.</p>
<hr/><p>“Rose!”</p><p>“The Cannon! Quick!”</p><p>Seems like Garnet had caved to Amethyst’s demands in the end. When they returned, they found the older Gem throw the young Quartz against the Red Eye again and again in an attempt to keep it as far above earth’s surface as possible. Pearl hurried to the Van. Together with Greg and Sadie – the continued presence of whom Pearl clearly wasn’t too happy about – she helped Rose unloaded the cannon from the top of the Van and then steady it a little further down the beach, closer to the shore. As soon as they’d found a stable position for it in the sand, Rose called Garnet and Amethyst away. Then, she took aim.</p><p>“<em>If all Porkchops were perfect, we wouldn’t have Hot Dogs</em>”, she whispered at the weapon, which activated and charged at once.  </p><p>Five seconds later a bright, brilliant beam of light shot out towards the Red Eye in the sky, piercing its core and tearing it apart in a firework of stone and metal. Everyone watched the beautiful destruction in awe. Soon, the remains of the Red Eye began to rain down into the ocean.</p><p>Wait. Just the ocean? Actually, even just a little bit, a portion of the debris seemed to be headed for-</p><p>“…Huh-!”</p><p>“<em>Sadie!</em>”</p><p>It was the second time today that Rose felt this way. Someone in danger, a danger that might destroy that person for good, right before her eyes. She rushed to help, but she soon realized that she wouldn’t make it in time. Sadie stood too far away from her, the rocks were falling too fast, she noticed it too late, she wouldn’t be able to stop it, this would continue-</p><p>-until Greg jumped and pushed, just barely moving both Sadie and himself out of the debris’ way.</p><p>The crater where the rock landed ended just at Greg’s right sole. A few more rocks landed on the beach, one crashing into the light-house, another one smashing off yet another one of Obsidian’s fingers. Pearl shrieked at that, but Garnet put a hand on her shoulder and shook her head at Pearl. ‘It isn’t worth the trouble’ is what she meant to tell her. When the carnage had finally ended and Amethyst had begun to curiously examine the craters of the shattered Red Eye’s remains, Rose ran over to the two humans on the ground to give them a hand.</p><p>“Are you two alright!? Do you need healing?”</p><p>“Ugh… It’s okay, Rose. I’ve seen worse, really.”</p><p>“Y-Yeah. I’m fine, I think,” Sadie sighed. “That was really close, though.”</p><p>Rose, however, glared down at her.</p><p>“<em>That</em> was why you humans shouldn’t have to get involved in Gem business.” she told her. “…Even if you want to.”</p><p>Rose briefly (and to Sadie’s shock) kissed Greg on the lips and Sadie on the forehead. Immediately their scratches and bruises closed and healed completely. Then, she turned around and began to leave.</p><p>“Rose…” Greg began to speak, but she interrupted him.</p><p>“That includes Nora and Steven,” she said.  “Greg… You were right. This place isn’t safe for that child. Not yet.” Her hands balled to fists. “But I swear to you… I’ll fix this. Nobody on this planet… Not you and not your child… Is going to get hurt by <em>them</em> ever again.”</p><p>With that, Rose ran away, towards the Temple gate, scanned her gem and disappeared into the building. The remaining Gems and the humans stayed behind on the beach, still exhausted and a little shocked by what had just transpired, but overall okay. Right, things were okay, weren’t they? The Red Eye had been destroyed in time, so, this wasn’t any different from any of the other battles Rose and the others had fought, was it? So why was it that Rose seemed so distraught and even… scared?</p><p>“Well!” Pearl, approaching Greg after Rose had retreated into her room, clapped her hands together, “O-On the plus side, I guess the baby plans are off the table for now! Eh? Eh?”</p><p>Greg looked away, “You don’t need to pretend, Pearl. I couldn’t be happy to see her like that either, even if I tried.”</p><p>“…Yes,” Pearl sighed and sat down next to Greg. “I… I know we didn’t do this. In fact, our own attempts were hilariously ineffective. But still… I can’t help but feel like… like…”</p><p>“Like <em>we</em> hurt her?”</p><p>“…Yes.”</p><p>From a short distance away, Garnet watched the both of them quietly look out to the horizon together. Amethyst didn’t make a great effort to understand it. She gathered up the shards of the Red Eye and carried them back to her room in the Temple to add them to her collection. Sadie, after ascertaining that all donuts had already been eaten and Rose probably wouldn’t accept change, left without a word. Night fell that day with Greg and Pearl sitting together silently before Pearl told Greg to go sleep in his Van. Then it was just her and Garnet, watching the sky.</p><p>Inside the Temple’s pink room Rose starred at her sketchbook alone, before imagining a drawer to put the book away in for now.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>So glad a lot of people seem to be enjoying this fanfic already, so I tried to get out another chapter as quickly as possible!</p><p>I'm writing this fanfic very seat-of-the-pants style, so in the beginning there won't be as much proof-reading or editing involved as I usually put into my projects (mostly because I don't have the time for that right now.) I'll most likely go back later and take care of problems like this. For now, I just want to get the chapters out in a timely manner.</p><p>As you can see, I'm structuring the fanfic into episodes, much like the actual show (except I'm not forced to stick to an 11-minute time-limit). I really want to move this along a lot faster than the actual show and things won't necessary happen in the same order (or at all). Still, combining the events of "Gem Glow" and "Laser Light Cannon" like this was fun. They were the first episodes of the show I saw, so combining them into a single-cohesive plot with a unified theme was a nicely nostalgic challenge.</p>
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